Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Really? This would be news to MLS, and probably US Soccer, too...
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock MLS is ultimately owned by its clubs (i.e., team investor-operators).
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Good point. Still, the USL has been owned in the manner the TOS mentions for 20+ years. If it were a sticking point I imagine US Soccer would have said something by now...
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Not to mention the FA Premier League.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock There's no such thing as the FA Premier League. There's the FA, then there's the Premier League. 2 separate entities.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock So what does everyone think about how the USL 1 will be in 2010?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock According to wikipedia...
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock This is just a ploy by Nike to offload a league it was never really interested in while protecting MLS from any legitimate competition. I have a feeling the TOA will find a way around this obstacle, maybe even breaking ties with USL to do so. Wouldn't it be great to have a more european structure to a domestic league?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Wow. Strong words. I guess they're going to use this "requirement that the league be owned and controlled by its teams" as leverage to get official FIFA/USSF sanction for whatever new league they might start up. This is getting interesting...especially if the TOA can get themselves affiliated to MLS...
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Now, just why in the hell would Nike have the slightest interest in doing that, even if we do make the outlandish assumption that the USL is anything close to "legitimate competition" to MLS?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Anyone know where Charleston, Austin, Cleveland, Rochester, Puerto Rico, and the new New York franchise stand on the issue? Are they not members of TOA?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock The FA is now a shareholder in the current setup.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock It's getting interesting? will the team-owners form a new league?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Yeah, with their $600 million.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Where did MLS's most successful expansion franchise come from? USL, Seattle Sounders. If it weren't competition, why would MLS want to include Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Yes-- I can't think of any significant pro sports league in the world that is not owned in whole or in part by its member clubs.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock and they will. you don't have to follow the league...BTW who the hell are the Michigan Bucks?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Because they all wrote a big check, just like the non-USL expansion teams. The flipside of that question is, if USL IS "legitimate competition" to MLS, why are the strongest teams in the league in such a hurry to bolt?
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock One of the most successful franchises in PDL history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Bucks
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock MLS and USL-1 don't really compete against each other if you consider they don't overlap in any markets.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock Seems to me that, since they weren't in the list, they're on the other side of this divide. So, it currently looks like we're on a path for an 8 team New Soccer League (for one year) and a 7 team USL1 (for one year). Just Effing Lovely. Then, Vancouver, Portland and Montreal will move to MLS, and the New Soccer League will have 6 teams, and USL1, if those two franchises come through in Atlanta and Birmingham, will have 8 teams. Otherwise, it, too will have 6 teams. Won't that just be lovely. Idiots, all around.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock well for example the A-league has 10 teams
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock I would trust Nurock over Boris (actually, I don't know how much he has to do with this, but he is part owner of the Railhawks, and I think he was part of the Disgruntled Owners group that threatened to bolt last year) and the Renegades any day. That may not be saying much, but I would.
Re: USL-1 Team Owner's Association Issues Press Release on Sale of League to NuRock According to the USSF bylaws, a professional league must be comprised of at least 8 professional teams. Of course, things are a little mushy with the USL. We all think that USL1 is Division 2 and USL2 is Division 3. And PDL as Division 4. But there is no Division 4 specified in the USSF Policy Manual. So the USL can probably skate by, and could end up combining USL1 and 2. Somehow. Would suck for Portland. I can see where they might just opt out of 2010 and focus on MLS and 2011. Not sure what New League thinks they'll do after 2010 when they lose Vancouver. I guess they feel then can find one other city or steal someone from USL1. What a fugly mess.